Intel Core i3-7100H vs Intel Core i7-4710HQ vs Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6

Intel Core i3-7100H

The Intel Core i3-7100H is a dual-core processor for notebooks based on the Kaby Lake architecture and was announced in January 2017. It is probably based on the quad-core die from the other H-series processor with two deactivated cores considering the TDP and the integrated HD Graphics 630. The two CPU cores run at 3GHZ without a Turbo, and the processor can execute up to four threads simultaneously thanks to Hyper Threading. It is also equipped with an Intel HD Graphics 630 GPU, a dual-channel memory controller (DDR4) as well as VP9 and H.265 video decoding as well as encoding. The chip is still manufactured in a 14nm process with FinFET transistors.

Architektur

Intel basically uses the same micro architecture compared to Skylake, so the per-MHz performance does not differ. The manufacturer only reworked the Speed Shift technology for faster dynamic adjustments of voltages and clocks, and the improved 14nm process allows much higher frequencies combined with better efficiency than before.

Performance

Compared to the similarly branded, but much more efficient Core i3-7100U (2.4 GHz, 15-Watt TDP), the i3-7100H has much higher clocks and the performance is almost on par with theCore i5-7200U (2.5-3.1 GHz).

Graphics

The integrated Intel HD Graphics 630 has 24 Execution Units (similar to previous HD Graphics 530) running at 350 - 950 MHz in this case. The performance depends a lot on the memory configuration. Compared to HD 620 GPUs, the higher TDP could result in better sustained performance.

Contrary to Skylake, Kaby Lake now supports hardware decoding for H.265/HEVC Main 10 with a 10-bit color depth as well as Google's VP9 codec. The dual-core Kaby Lake processors, which were announced in January, should also support HDCP 2.2.

Power Consumption

The chip is manufactured in an improved 14nm process with FinFET transistors, which improves the efficiency even further. The TDP is pretty high for a dual-core processor at 35 Watts, so the CPU is not suited fpr thin and light notebooks (where the i3-7100U comes into play).

Intel Core i7-4710HQ

Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6

The Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6 is a fast quad-core processor for workstation notebooks based on the Kaby Lake architecture and was announced in January 2017. It is the top model of the mobile Kaby-Lake-H series at the time of the announcement. Besides four cores including Hyper-Threading support running at 3.1 - 4.2 GHz (4 cores up to 3.9 GHz, 2 cores up to 4.1 GHz), the processor is also equipped with the professional HD Graphics P630 GPU as well as a dual-channel memory controller (DDR3L-1600/DDR4-2400). It is manufactured in a 14nm process with FinFET transistors.

Architecture

Intel basically uses the same micro architecture compared to Skylake, so the per-MHz performance does not differ. The manufacturer only reworked the Speed Shift technology for faster dynamic adjustments of voltages and clocks, and the improved 14nm process allows much higher frequencies combined with better efficiency than before.

Performance

The performance is a bit higher compared to the fastest Kaby Lake consumer CPU, the Intel Core i7-7920HQ, thanks to slightly higher Turbo clocks (100 - 200 MHz), so it is the fastest mobile consumer processor in the beginning of 2017. The performance is sufficient even for very demanding tasks and on par with powerful desktop quad-core processors.

Graphics

The integrated professional Intel HD Graphics P630 has 24 Execution Units (similar to previous HD Graphics 530) running at 350 - 1100 MHz. The performance depends a lot on the memory configuration; it should be comparable to a dedicated Nvidia GeForce 920M in combination with fast DDR4-2133 dual-channel memory. It offers certified drivers for 15 professional and CAD applications.

Contrary to Skylake, Kaby Lake now supports hardware decoding for H.265/HEVC Main 10 with a 10-bit color depth as well as Google's VP9 codec. The dual-core Kaby Lake processors, which were announced in January, should also support HDCP 2.2.

Power Consumption

The chip is manufactured in an improved 14nm process with FinFET transistors, which improves the efficiency even further. Intel still specifies the TDP with 45 Watts, but it can also be reduced to 35 Watts by the notebook manufacturers (cTDP down). This will obviously affect the performance, because the Turbo Boost cannot be maintained for longer periods.